Remembering
by Ehwaz-Ansuz-Kano
Summary: Poems told from the Achaean point of view during different times, not necessarily during the Trojan War. Some characters are Akhilleus, Patroklos, Odysseus, Agamemnon, Menelaus, etc. Depending on desire will make Trojan/allies poem collection as well.
1. Akhilleus Remembers

Disclaimer: I do not own Akhilleus, Patroklos, Odysseus, or any other character from the Iliad.

* * *

I still remember your smile,

And you're gleeful blue eyes,

Now you're gone,

No more will we dine together,

With our comrades-in-arms,

No more will you be there when I call,

You're dead, lying still on the dark earth,

It is his entire fault.

He will pay with his wife and child,

His homeland too,

In sacrifice for you.

Twelve of their youths I shall offer upon your pyre,

Dogs and horses will spill their blood,

To please your shade and ease my grief.

His knees shall fall upon the brown soil,

His hands shall clasp my ankles,

His lips will beg for clemency,

His eyes will search mine for pity and remorse,

I will offer him none,

As he offered you none.

My spear or sword shall piece his soft flesh,

I will end his life with my own hands,

For he has taken my life from me,

When he gave you the killing blow.

When I have avenged you,

I know my death is looming,

Like the black ships we sailed in,

To get to his forsaken land,

Our bones will be mingled in an urn.

Then to the White Island we shall cross,

And to have Hypnos forever keep us,

In his embracing sleep,

While other men will have Morpheus,

Fill their dreams with visions of us.

For once I care not for glory or prizes,

I care not if my name is remembered,

I'm not worth remembering, this I see now,

Agamemnon will sack Troy,

And for once I do not envy him,

I had you and you were worth more gold,

Then Troy could offer,

I just never realized this,

Until you were gone.


	2. Patroklos Asks To Fight

Agamemnon, you defied the Gods,

Took Khryses' daughter to bed,

To slate your lusts and pride,

Forgot so easily she was a priestess of Phoebus,

Arrows brought disease for retribution,

When you refused to return her,

So sly Odysseus convinced you,

But at great cost! For Akhilleus' prized Briseis,

You did demand in exchange for your lose,

Akhilleus in his fury did withdraw his men,

And so our brother Argives die,

But it was not only you, who is to blame for this,

Menelaus of Sparta, your brother,

Whose grief, dignity, and pain I indulge,

In your grieving bitterness your vengeance must be saved,

So to Troy we set out, some by choice, some by tricks,

Iphigenia's blood dashed on the altar gave us fair wind,

Woe, to Agamemnon, the consequences of killing his daughter,

For Clytemnestra they say still harbors her sorrow,

Akhilleus, the bloodstained killer,

With your strength and your wounded pride,

Over Briseis did you turn from your fellow Achaeans,

What of our brothers, Akhilleus,

How much longer must we suffer the humiliation of defeat?

Both in numbers and pride?

How much longer will you dwell idly in your rage?

Akhilleus, go forth I shall with your armor and spear,

To drive back the Trojan forces that make for our ships,

With your permission I will send them all to flight,

For Phobos himself could not spread quicker than your name,

Terror more lethal than any pestilence unleashed by Apollo,

Your word is my command, cousin!

* * *

Patroklos begging Akhilleus to take to the field or let him go. In the Iliad Patroklos was given permission by Akhilleus to don his armor. I left their relationship fairly ambiguous, I personally believe they were lovers, but you as the reader can interpret it whichever way you like.

Anyway I decided one day when I was bored to write some poetry based on the Iliad and the character's reactions at certain events and so I decided to add to this little one-shot and expand it into a multi-chapter story looking at the Achaean side of the Iliad. I'm thinking of writing one about the Trojans too, maybe, depends if I get inspired. Please R&R.

Things to Know:

Phobos is Greek God of Fear while Phoebus is an epithet for Apollo, he was not only the god of healing but plague and it was said Paris' arrow that killed Akhilleus was directed by him.

Argives, Danaans, and Achaean are the same name for the Greeks who came with Agamemnon and Myrmidons are Akhilleus' specific followers/troops/men/etc.

Iphigenia was Agamemnon's daughter who he sacrificed to Artemis to get the winds to sail to Troy. Clytemnestra because of that, or claiming so anyway (one can't really be sure if that was her actual reason), murdered her husband when he finally returned from Troy along with his concubine/war prize Kassandra.

Khryses is from the Iliad, the beginning of the book is about his wanting his daughter back from Agamemnon and it was because Agamemnon gave her up that he took Briseis from Akhilleus.


	3. Odysseus Prays to Athena

I've never been one to brag or plead,

I've never believed in magic,

When my wits and courage were all I needed,

But Athena, if your really there, show me a way to end this war,

It is a tragic folly, both Menelaus' neglect and Paris' thievery,

Vessels merely to help Agamemnon sack Troy's riches,

Or perhaps it was all devised by fate,

Inevitable to fail just as my try at madness,

With the plow, Telemachus, and that Palamedes,

For almost ten years we've spent on this sandy shore,

Fighting, winning, losing, never real victory,

Forgetting our wives' face, our children's names,

Some willingly succumbing to concubines,

Others' an undesired lapse of memory,

Oh, Penelope! Whose eyes were as warm as honey,

An image so engraved I'd never forget,

No matter how many years here in Troy,

Ah, Telemachus, so young, so open, so loving.

Such things as home, dear Goddess Athena, you must know well,

Protector of cities and patroness of regal Athens,

You who know the cost of guarding what one loves best,

But for near on ten years away from my city,

My island of dear Ithaka I have been,

Oh, Goddess, take me back home,

Away from bruised Akhilleus,

Who sulks day and night over Briseis,

A girl child playing the part of priestess,

Whose mind did not form further than Telemachus at age three,

Akhilleus who throws tantrums as Agamemnon gloats,

As Argives die and Menelaus grows more biting than a frosty winter,

Patroklos, oh what reason to love a boy who never grew up?

Young Patroklos, whose sense is sound and speech thought-out,

Should suffer to hero worship such fiends as Ajax, great, lesser and all?

So misplaced a calculation can spell such ruin!

Oh, Bright Eyes, if only Helen had not left,

If only Paris had not chosen Aphrodite,

If only Menelaus had vied more for his wife's affection,

Ruin to us all, Penelope, Telemachus, by fools I am enslaved!

Pallas Athena, show me your hand! A horse? Hm? Perhaps!

* * *

Odysseus as he prays for Athena's help in a way to sack Troy right before he thinks of the wooden horse. Epithets for Athena include Pallas and Bright Eyes. She was the goddess of wisdom, war strategy, strength, skill, crafts like pottery, and patroness of Athens. References to the Odysseus' _'madness' _refers to when Agamemnon sent some of his men to fetch Odysseus to uphold his oath sworn to protect Helen (Menelaus was picked from all of Helen's suitors after the others swore an oath to protect her, Odysseus wasn't a suitor, but he was the one who devised the oath). Odysseus was plowing a rocky barren field when they arrived. Palamedes placed the infant Telemachus before where Odysseus was going to plow over and Odysseus turned the plow aside, thus proving he was sane.


	4. Agamemnon's Gold, Linens, and Spices

Iphigenia I slew for fair wind,

So the Goddess Artemis was appeased,

And to Troy we set sail,

To reach its glistering shores,

In hardly the blinking of an eye,

Black ships did dot out the blue of the Aegean,

That fine day as we beheld towering Troy,

Golden and radiant as had been told,

Near ten years and still we sit upon these shores,

Tall Troy so well protected with its walls,

I do not hesitant to think the walls,

Not man-made, but divinely built,

The patron of the city Apollo,

Perhaps did craft these walls with Poseidon,

As told in fable by the singers of his deeds?

Or his devious twin who send us to this Tartarus,

Might have a hand in halting our sacking?

Did I strive so hard for nothing?

The blood of my daughter,

Iphigenia, who so much did want to live,

Whose smiles I stole, whose happiness I shattered,

Whose very breath I heard hiss from her lips,

As I drew my sword and raised it high,

Those eyes watched me with fear,

Such wide eyed tenderness in her gaze,

No more to be bestowed upon her father,

No more was Iphigenia to speak again,

To laugh, or tease, or weep profusely,

For my blade descended on her neck,

Clytemnestra, who bore our gentle Iphigenia,

Must loath me with all her being,

A trickster, a thief, a murderer,

A lair who knows no bounds,

Mother and her daughter did come,

Thinking Akhilleus wished to marry her,

Not realizing until it was too late,

The deception played by the father and husband,

A thief too, who stole happiness, life, and future,

A murderer by far the worst crime yet,

To Tartarus I know I will be locked away,

By Zeus the almighty Thunder Himself no doubt,

But must it be all in vain?

Will I not at least get Troy for all my effort?

I deserve the glittering gold, soft linens,

And heady spices Troy does offer,

I who tarnished the golden head of Iphigenia,

I who spattered her linens red,

And left her corpse to the smell of rot,

It can not all be in vain!

* * *

Agamemnon dwelling on his slaying of his daughter and hoping it wasn't all in vain.


	5. Menelaus' Materialistic Love

Paris, oh that wretched name!

Alexandros forsaken on a mountain,

Safe on Ida as a herdsman,

Till his birthright he was told,

Alexandros, Paris, no difference,

Lecher, fiend, evil,

All the same vileness,

That whisked away my Helen,

A charming smile, a gentle caress,

Was all it took to turn her head?

I suspected nothing,

Was not aware her mind so empty,

And her heart so cold,

That she should betray me, King of Sparta,

For a beardless youth of Troy,

Who offers her nothing but smiles,

While I gave everything,

Jewelry, queenly garb, fine gifts,

Yet she choose Paris,

Who gave her glittering grins,

Clothes fit for a princess,

And Troy's rich merchant venues,

What importance are the half-hearted smiles now,

One dress amongst a dozen princesses' finery?

And Achaean's enemies as a gifts?

Ha, Paris gave her nothing,

Are you happy, Helen?

Impossible, no joy among strangers,

Amongst haters and lechers,

In Sparta did she know her place?

A Queen raised above the populous,

More beautiful than divine Aphrodite,

No more to be revered by commoners',

One princess' in a horde of Priam's offspring,

Only her beauty holds,

What good is that?

Oh, yes, Paris would cast her aside,

If her otherworldly beauty ever dimmed,

But me? Menelaus? Would I, dear Helen?

Humph, we will see after I kill this Paris,

Whether or not I'll kill Helen too.

* * *

Menelaus thoughts about Helen and Paris' elopement right before he fights Paris. I'm sure everyone knows who Aphrodite is, goddess of love and beauty in Greek mythology. When Menelaus was reunited with Helen, says Euripides, he had the choice to kill her, but her beauty stunned him and he instead took her back to Sparta with him. Of course the Odyssey says they had a strained marriage, mostly because Helen never bore him a son and because Menelaus couldn't forget the lost of all the men during the war for her. I do believe that is the only information needed this chapter, please R&R.


End file.
